Registered Manager - Children's Home

For every journey, let’s take first steps together.

At First Steps Together, we believe every child deserves to feel safe, listened to, understood and supported to achieve positive outcomes.

First Steps Together Care Services provides specialist residential care for children and young people with additional and complex needs. We are committed to creating safe, nurturing and ambitious homes where children can build positive relationships, develop independence and experience consistent, high-quality care.

As our Care Services continue to grow, we are looking for an experienced and values-driven Registered Manager Children’s Home to lead one of our homes in Wirral, Merseyside.

This is much more than managing the day-to-day running of a children’s home.

Reporting to the Responsible Individual
, you will have overall responsibility for the leadership and management of the home, leading the Deputy Manager, Senior Residential Support Workers and Residential Support Workers to deliver a child-centred service that safeguards children, promotes their welfare and achieves consistently high standards of care.

You’ll ensure the home operates in accordance with its Statement of Purpose, the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015, the Quality Standards, statutory guidance and Ofsted requirements
, while creating a culture where children’s views, wishes and rights are at the heart of everything we do.

You’ll provide confident and effective leadership of the home, maintaining oversight of care practice, safeguarding, staffing, risk, records, resources and quality assurance
, while working closely with the Responsible Individual to identify risks, drive improvement and maintain regulatory compliance.

You’ll make sure every child receives individualised, nurturing and ambitious care based on their needs, plans, background, identity, wishes and feelings. You’ll promote positive relationships and trauma-informed practice, while ensuring children are supported to access education, healthcare, family relationships, activities and opportunities that build independence and prepare them for adulthood.

Safeguarding will be central to your role. As the home’s operational safeguarding lead
, you’ll ensure concerns are recognised, recorded and escalated appropriately, risks are effectively assessed and managed, and serious events are notified to Ofsted and other relevant agencies when required.

You’ll also lead on placement matching, admissions and transitions
, making sure the home can safely and effectively meet a child’s needs before a placement is agreed and that care plans translate into consistent day‑to‑day practice.

People leadership will be a significant part of the role. You’ll build and develop a capable, accountable and reflective team through safer recruitment, induction, supervision, appraisal, learning and development and effective performance management. You’ll make sure staffing levels, deployment and skills remain appropriate for the needs of the children living in the home.

And you’ll use Regulation 44 visits, Regulation 45 quality of care reviews, audits, performance information, feedback and learning from incidents to identify what is working well, where improvements are needed and ensure actions lead to meaningful improvements in children’s experiences and outcomes.

We’re looking for someone who understands children’s residential care and, most importantly, understands the responsibility that comes with leading a home.

You’ll have at least two years’ relevant experience in residential childcare within the last five years
, including at least one year supervising and managing staff working in a care role
.

You’ll have, or be able to achieve within the required…